Gov. Quinn repeals death penalty in Illinois

Last week, Governor Quinn signed a bill to repeal the death penalty in the state of Illinois. “We cannot have a death penalty system in our state that kills innocent people. Unfortunately, that system was in grave danger of doing exactly that in 20 different instances in Illinois,” said Quinn.

The capital punishment system in Illinois had been in place since 1977. The repeal makes Illinois the 15th state to end the death penalty. Quinn’s reference to the system killing innocent people was to 20 different individuals who had been sentenced to the death penalty, but were later exonerated of the criminal charges made against them.

Quinn continued, “If the system can’t be guaranteed 100 percent error-free, then we shouldn’t have the system. It cannot stand. It just is not right in our democracy and system of justice.”

If you or someone you know has been accused of committing a crime in Champaign, contact the Champaign criminal defense lawyers of Bruno Law Offices at 217-328-6000 today, to set up an appointment to speak with one of our experienced defense attorneys about your rights.